Restored 1977 Mercedes MB Trac 800 from Norway Drives 2,000 km to the Vatican
A farmer from the Opole area of Poland, Henryk Kolpak, drove his 1977 Mercedes-Benz MB Trac 800 tractor 2,000 km to the Vatican on a pilgrimage after a winter rebuild. He bought it in Norway five years ago for 39,000 zlotys.
Henryk Kolpak, a farmer and entrepreneur from Stare Siołkowice near Opole in Poland, set off on a pilgrimage to the Vatican on 4 June this year in his restored 1977 Mercedes-Benz MB Trac 800 tractor. According to him, the machine covered the 2,000 km without a breakdown. The story was reported by the Polish farming portal Farmer.
What the MB Trac is
The MB Trac is a series of Mercedes-Benz system tractors. Production at the Daimler-Benz plant in Gaggenau began in 1973 and ended in December 1991. The German company Werner later took over the concept and continued making such machines under the WF-trac name. Unlike conventional tractors, it has four wheels of equal diameter and is built on the chassis of the off-road Unimog. A large load area sits above the rear axle, and equipment can also be mounted at the front and under the frame.
From Norway to the Opole region
Kolpak brought the tractor from Norway five years ago and paid 39,000 zlotys including transport. In his view, it probably worked clearing snow at an airport in Norway, which is why it was badly corroded. On his farm it hauled waste and rubble containers, worked meadows with a 7-metre rake, and was used for crop protection with a 2,500-litre sprayer and a 21-metre boom.
The tractor is powered by a 78-horsepower Mercedes 508 D engine. The gearbox offers 32 forward and 16 reverse gears, and the tractor can reach 50 km/h. The owner says his three sons do not use it because it has no electronics.
Winter restoration
Last winter the work focused mainly on the bodywork. The cab, which had completely rotted, was built almost from scratch and made somewhat longer; only the dashboard, pedals and part of the floor survived. The tractor was repainted, and early 1970s series left the factory in grey with a red frame, which this machine kept. The original hour meter, which had stopped at 30,000 engine hours, was replaced. The tractor no longer works in the field.
